Early summer and going on missions

One thing I have great memories of from college is going on summer missions. I only went a couple of times, actually, but it led to other short-term trips and a two-year stay in Wyoming with my wife.
Without those trips, I wouldn't have done much travel at all outside of the Southeast. I wouldn't have gotten to experience some different places and met other people. Most of all, I wouldn't have had the time of growth with God that I did. It was in those times that I learned to not depend on myself, but instead to depend on Jesus.
Recently, I got to see a bunch of college students from around Georgia go through their commissioning service in Macon. It was really cool seeing how excited they were about getting out and serving Christ. About half are going out of the country to places like Corsica (yes, like in the Bible), the Philippines and Mozambique. Others are staying in the country but serving in such states as Alaska, Colorado and Georgia, to name a few.

Aspiring writers wanted for Ridgecrest retreat

I've often thought about trying to write a book of some kind, if only I knew what kind to write, got disciplined about doing it, and then had the first clue as to going about putting it together and getting it published.
You know how sometimes you'll sign up for stuff and clubs on the Internet, mess around with it for awhile, then eventually stop it? For all you know you may still have a membership there? A couple of years ago I did this with a place called Faithwriters and stayed with it for a few months. At the time I was teaching and even a couple of my students joined. There's a free membership, but like all other places, they'll ask you to chip in a little for more benefits.
Recently, LifeWay had a retreat for those wanting to have their work reviewed by experienced writers or others who wanted to get serious about their writing. I remember running across this awhile back and wanted to really look into going, but it obviously slipped my mind.
I still at times think about writing a book. A lot of people have done it. Why not me?
I'm curious if there are others reading this who have thought of the same thing ...

U.S. troops almost had Zarqawi in Feb., says report

As an avid viewer of "24," this caught my eye because every time Jack Bauer is about to nab Habib Marwan, the guy gets away! In the real world, though, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is a dangerous and evil man who, in the eyes of many, has replaced Bin laden as America's number one enemy. Read this to see how we almost got him a couple of months ago.

Town selling land dirt-cheap for revitalization

My boss at work pointed out this story to me for its great lead. I used to drive by this place whenever I went north from Cheyenne to Wheatland, Douglas or Casper. I remember a chili mix they sold here – you could get free samples at the store just off the interstate – and that it was pretty good. This will probably sound crazy to the sardined communities of metro Atlanta, but there are small towns out there where people are moving away and no one is coming in to replace them. An interesting read.

Foxworthy is highest-selling comedy artist ever, no kidding

This was kind of hard for me to believe until I read it. Think about it -- there's Cosby and Carlin, Seinfield and Murphy, but Jeff Foxworthy has outsold them all. Read this and see how Foxworthy's people packaged him and made him what he is today, not to mention opened the doors for other country acts such as Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Cartersville's own Cledus T. Judd.

Safe to go back to the chili again

If you've been put off of going to Wendy's because of the story of the lady finding a severed finger in it, don't worry. It was all a hoax she had put together for some quick cash in a settlement. Really, how badly must you want to avoid getting a job to hide a severed human finger in your chili to pay the light bill? It also makes you wonder if there's some guy out there who can now only count to nine (based on his assumed intelligence if he went along with this. Let's give him credit he'd use his toes and go all the way to 19)and is wondering if he'll ever get his payday.

Sixteen pastors, nearly 900 Christian jailed in Eritrea

Persecution has been running rampant in this nation on the east coast of Africa. A handful of those jailed are released after signing a document stating they will not take part in the religious services again. Makes my complaint on getting up at 7:45 on Sunday morning seem pretty shallow ...

Barna comments on state of the church

George Barna weighs in from time to time on the state of the Protestant church in America. Here he talks about the growth of megachurches and how that trend has led to a somewhat anonymity among members but at the same time there has been a movement of sorts towards smaller groups meeting in homes, which is leading to more in-depth relationships and study of the scriptures.

Religious liberties group getting comments on Cobb County Creationism flap

A religious liberties group has said that the recent decision of a Cobb County judge sets a dangerous precedent for Christians bringing an case before a court. The argument is that believers will be judged prematurely due to their faith in God, and therefore won't receive a fair hearing.
I wrote an article on this for the Index. The subject wasn't so much on the court's decision as it was with parents, students and pastors weighing in on the controversy. The bottom line and ultimate question is whether or not one theory has more weight over another theory and should both or just one be taught in public schools.

For those interested in the Vietnam War

A college professor who served in Vietnam has authored a series of books pointing out myths of the war, particularly the effect of protesters on the war's end. He says there are half- and un-truths being handed out by the Right and Left, and these are still given today in college and high school classes.

Recounting Australia's passage of a marriage amendment

Not known as a bastion of conservative views, Australia has already passed a bill stating the concept of traditional marriage as that between one man and one woman. Australian native and evangelist Warwick Marsh led that charge and got support for it at a time when it seemed gay marriage was a certainty. However, he and others led the passage of this bill even with the help of political leaders not even religious, just with the viewpoint that the foundation of marriage is in its traditional sense.

Christian download site goes up

I know some of you guys like to download music. There's a new site out which is kind of like a Christian I-tunes. I just browsed around on it, and since it's pretty new, doesn't look like there's been a whole lot of activity on it yet.

Pretty cool biker church

I wasn't able to be there teaching my class at church today, but instead got to cover a pretty sweet assignment for the Index. Up the road a bit in Calhoun is Meadowdale Baptist Church. Each year for the past six years, they have held a biker church. I talked to the pastor and deacon who got this started up. Both were great guys. It was something else to see all of the bikes in the parking lot. We'll get the article out in the paper next month, more than likely.

It was a trip to see a lot of these guys and here how Christ had saved them. Evidently, there are a lot of bikers who believe in Jesus, even to the point of having organizations like the Christian Motorcyclists Association. It was pretty cool to see a crew who looked to be just as comfortable pronouncing their faith in God as they would in the front row of a Skynyrd concert.

An important point was made to me of which I hadn't been aware. The pastor told me that they donate any money raised at these things to children's charities and the like. The reason being is that bikers are apparently really into that stuff and support it. I asked why that was and he talked about the real sense of family and community found among bikers, and how they are all affected if something happens to one of them or one of their kids. It's a very relationship-driven culture filled with friendly people who love to hang out and get to know others. It's interesting to point out how churches have trouble maintaining such a cohesiveness.

Political correctness monitored through "Campus Outrage Awards"

It's crazy to hear how only certain types of free speech are protected on many college campuses. Several examples are given from recent events at colleges in the country.

Can we get sucked out of airplanes?

Not since living in Cheyenne and flying back and forth have I spent much time in a plane. There just hasn't been a need for it.
This article at Slate reminded me of a time I was on a flight coming into Denver late one night. I was in one of the seats toward the back of the plane, which didn't have that many people on it. All of the flight attendants were up toward the front and it was eerily quiet.
It was then that I looked at the rear door just a few feet away from me and wondered what would happen if there was some deranged guy in my seat who decided to pull the lever. Would we all get sucked out? Would the plane depressurize and go down? It was one of those "What would happen?" conversations you have with yourself.

Passion leader recounts movement among college students

In case you're not familiar with Passion or Louie Giglio, they are both something to know about. College students are an incredible resource for impacting the world for Christ. In this article on Baptist Press,Giglio talks about how he has seen this movement take shape around the world.
It was during college that I came to have a more intimate knowledge of Jesus. Before then, I was pretty good at playing the church game. It's during the years in higher education that we make the decisions which shape us for the rest of our lives in so many ways. We decide who we're going to believe and what will have top priority. Hopefully, at the forefront of that is our relationship with Christ and how we are to serve Him, whether that is through vocational ministry or in the business world.

Christian teachers in public schools get some representation

Oh, how I wish I had known about this during my teaching days. It's basically necessary in the profession to have a membership in some kind of union. However, those groups would typically have social stances with which you might not agree as a Christian. It's not surprising that someone took the steps to establish a base for believers who feel it is their calling and ministry to be in a public school.

Hitchhiker murders woman following choir practice

I've had these debates with people before on whether or not Christians should pick up hitchhikers. Be sure to go ahead and read to the bottom, as some interesting information and web sites on hitchhiking is included.

TV commentators unsure of what to make of young people's devotion to Pope

One of the things covered at arm's length regarding John Paul II is the attraction he had from young people. The mainstream media doesn't quite know how to associate a percieved secular youth culture with a pope who had conservative views and would not budge on so many moral issues. The truth could be that maybe this segment of the population is looking for something deeper than the media would have us believe. It was indeed because of, not in spite of, the pope's stances on these issues which attracted, and still attracts, young people to this day.

Great day at church

Boy, I needed it today. I've been busy all week and church was great. It left me charged up and ready to go at it for another week. Powersource was good as well. We talked about how choices have longstanding results and the way they play into our relationship with God.
Back to the worship service. There's something about that song "Only a God Like You." It reminds me of how unique and special our individual relationship with God is. Only a God like the one I serve -- the one true God -- can love me despite all of the things wrong with me. That makes my Lord worthy of my praise and all my hope and faith.

Book explores the absence of men in church

You can't deny it. There are a lot of guys who would rather sleep in on Sunday or catch up on yardwork rather than go to church. This is a book review exploring that. It points to a "feminization" of the church that results in an environment men simply don't want to be a part of.

Gettin' in shape for a marathon

I have enough trouble getting myself to read the Bible daily. This is pretty cool, though.

Pope's death leading to Irish return to church

I was wondering if this sort of thing might happen. With the death of John Paul II, more traditional Catholics are starting to search about their faith. The Index ran a series of articles last year about a great revival which happened in this part of the world. Interesting to consider when the same thing will happen again.

Here's the article about the revival.
http://www.christianindex.org/735.article

These are stories from those who heard about it from relatives and others.
http://www.christianindex.org/759.article

UNC believers become champs

It's always good to hear stories like this one regarding athletes and their relationship with Christ.

Kiss goodnight

Kiss goodnight
Originally uploaded by sbarkley.

Kiss nite nite

Academic Bill of Rights for college students?

It's about time. Although there were very few professors of mine I had a problem with, the majority of them could be considered as liberal. None went to the extreme as the examples given in this story, though. Hopefully, the measure mentioned here will lead to more academic freedom and less intimidation for students with conservative viewpoints.

CFBC folks might want to plan a trip to the Legion Theatre

Look at this link and see who is Male Actor #2. If you haven't gone to a play at the Legion Theatre in town, this would be a good time to go. It's a small, intimate setting and something a little different than what you might normally do in Cartersville.

Amy Grant to host reality show

Young Filipinos reshaping their country

This is an amazing example of how a generation is moving in their country for God and see results.

"Jesus is a foreigner's god ..."

In recent testimony before the United Nations, one person gave witness to Christian persecution alive and well in China.

Just a few minutes from mayhem

100_0397
Originally uploaded by sbarkley.

At this year's CFBC Easter Egg hunt, I witnessed something extraordinary. About 500+ eggs were gobbled up by around 100 or so kids making like crazed pac-men.

First steps of Nicolae Carpathia's rise?

This will resonate with those of us who've read the Left Behind books. It kind of ticks me off that we have this technology going on and yet still don't have flying cars.

April 14,15 could be interesting days at your school

Can't say we had these kinds of days when I was in school...